Oral health and dental treatment needs of people with motor neurone disease.

BACKGROUND: People with motor neurone disease (MND) may present with physical limitations impacting on oral health and access to oral health care. This study aimed to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of people with MND in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: Patients with advanced MND attending a multidisciplinary MND clinic in Melbourne were recruited. Data collection included self-reporting questionnaires on previous dental experience, current oral hygiene practices and current dietary habits, a medical questionnaire, and a clinical examination charting participants' dentition, restorations, caries and periodontal status, plaque and gingival indices, and assessment of oral health. RESULTS: Thirty-three participants took part in the study with eight self-reporting regular dental visits. No participant exhibited probing depths of more than 3 mm. Ten out of 27 dentate participants required extractions and restorations for retained roots and caries, while three presented with non-carious cavities, lost restorations and fractured cusps. Oral health status was not affected by MND presentation in these participants. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that oral health was not affected by advanced MND. Participants' and clinical teams' motivation towards oral health care may have contributed to oral health. The dental profession should be involved as part of the multidisciplinary effort towards ongoing care.

Microwave drying of high strength dental stone: effects on dimensional accuracy.

High-strength dental stone is widely used to produce dies for the fabrication of restorations with the lost-wax technique. It is normal to wait at least 24 hours for casts to dry and gain sufficient strength prior to initiating laboratory procedures. This waiting time may be greatly reduced by using microwave drying. This study determined the optimum microwave energy density for preserving working die accuracy of a Type IV high-strength dental stone (Silky Rock; Whipmix). Cylindrical die specimens were fabricated according to manufacturer's instructions and allowed to set for one hour. The specimens were subsequently treated as follows: Group I (Control group)--air dried; Group II--microwaved at 700W for 40 seconds; Group III--microwaved at 490W for 60 seconds. The percentage weight loss of cylindrical specimens (n = 6) and the percentage dimensional change (n = 7) of die specimens in three axes (x, y and z) were determined at 30 minutes, 1 hour and 24 hours after air drying/microwaving. Weight loss was measured using an electronic digital balance, while dimensional changes were assessed using image analysis software. Data was subject to ANOVA/Scheffe's tests at significance level 0.05. No significant difference in percentage weight loss was observed between air drying for 24 hours and microwaved specimens at all time intervals. Although no significant difference in percentage dimensional changes was observed between specimens microwaved at 490W for 60 seconds and specimens air dried for 24 hours, significant changes in x, y and z dimensions were observed after microwaving at 700W for 40 seconds at various time intervals. Microwave radiation at 490W for 60 seconds is recommended for drying Type IV high-strength dental stone. Further investigations are required to determine changes in physical properties associated with the aforementioned microwave power density.